Alternate Kidnapping Scene
by Fenix Uzumaki
Summary: Have you ever wondered about what might've happened if Beary hadn't run away from the group to go home? What if he had been there when Reed Thimple kidnapped them? What if he had been used to get the Bears to behave? Here's my take on it.
1. Beary's POV

**I do not own the Country Bears, no matter how much I want to. If I did, the movie would have had more drama and evilness. Mwahahahaha**

**Anyway, here's my bit on what could have happened... [had I owned the Bears]**

* * *

><p><strong>Alternate Movie Kidnapping Scene [Beary's third person POV]<strong>

Ted abruptly cut him off. "Kid, that was just a bunch of **meanin'less** publicity! You don't know **nothin'** about the **real** Bears, understand? NOTHIN'!" he shouted. "We are **not** a family!"

The other bears in the field glared at Ted. They clearly didn't approve of his tone towards the cub.

Hurt filled Beary's hazel eyes. "You're right…" he muttered, glancing at them all as he continued, "This isn't a family." He turned back to Ted, ignoring the surprised looks he was receiving from the others. "Cause the people who love you no matter **what**? **That's** your family…"

Ted's eyes widened slightly at the wisdom and meaning behind the words. The other Bears looked down in sadness, knowing that the cub's words rang true.

"Who told you that, Beary?" Henry asked quietly as the cub let out a sad sigh.

Beary turned to look at him. "My Dad."

Ted looked confused at the statement while the others looked at the sad expression on Henry's face with sympathy. They all suspected that there was more to the story than what the band manager had told them.

Beary's eyes widened and he gasped. "My Dad…!" Ted watched in confusion as the cub looked at the others for a moment before turning and running past them all.

"Wha- Wait a min- Hold on, Beary!" Henry called. The cub didn't stop, but instead kept running.

All his thoughts were focused on getting _**home**_ to his _**family**_ where he _**belonged**_. He was wrong to have run away, and he knew that now. He belonged with them; he always had. Why had it taken so long for him to realize that? He was Beary _**Barrington**_.

He ran in front of the parked bus, intent on grabbing his guitar from the bottom storage area of the bus, but skidded to a halt when he came across a startling sight: Roadie was backed against the bus at gunpoint.

Beary recognized the man holding the gun as the banker, but didn't know his name.

The man and Roadie both glanced at him, their expressions polar opposites: Roadie was horrified while the banker was gleeful, setting Beary on edge.

"BEARY! RUN!" Roadie shouted, beginning to move towards him, his eyes filled with panic.

Beary's legs wouldn't move, no matter how much he tried to get the limbs to work. Everything was happening too fast; his mind couldn't keep up. He didn't know exactly what happened—the next thing he knew, an arm was wrapping tightly around his throat as something hard and cold was pressed against the side of his head.

He let out a startled shout. "Let go of me!"

The drummer looked at him in horror and anger. "Why didn't you run?" he cried.

Beary let out a whimper, still confused as to what was going on. His hazel eyes were filled with fear and utter terror. "R-Roadie… W-What's g-going on?" he whimpered, beginning to tremble.

Roadie didn't get a chance to answer before the cub felt warm air tickle his ear fur as the voice of his captor spoke softly to him. "You are going to help me control those _**bears**_. Fight me and you will _**die**_."

His heart skipped a beat and his trembling increased. A single tear streaked his cheek as the pressure around his throat increased, slowly beginning to cut off his air. He didn't know if the man knew this, but he wasn't about to question him.

His captor looked at the drummer and spoke in a harsh tone. "Bring them to me or the cub dies." As if to prove his sincerity in the threat, he released the safety on the gun. "And no funny business."

Roadie gulped and stiffly nodded as he clenched his fists. "Just… Just don't hurt him, Thimple," he pleaded as he backed towards the front of the bus. "He's innocent… He didn't do anything to you…"

"Don't give me a reason to, then."

Beary watched Roadie leave with a terrified expression on his face. His trembling was getting out of control. He didn't how he managed to get himself into these situations? Already, he was in danger again for the second time that week. The first time, he had nearly been hit by lightning and it was by a fluke that he had been saved—Henry had pulled him back inside the doorway. And now _**this**_? This week was just getting better and better.

In his mind, he could hear his older brother laughing at him and calling him a wimp. They had been wrestling and Dex had easily overpowered him, holding him in a chokehold. Beary had started crying—he had been seven at the time; Dex had been thirteen—and Dex, his supposedly "protector" from the bullies on the playground, called him a weak little wimp and a baby. Those words from his older brother had hurt more than the chokehold and the bruises he got from wrestling. From that day forward, Beary resolved to keep his feelings of sadness to himself and fight back.

Which, at the present time, he did, despite his captor's warning of him dying if he fought back. He was _**sick**_ and _**tired**_ of being weak.

With a small yell, he brought his foot down against the man's ankle, earning a scream of pain and the feeling of being released.

"You little bastard!" the man shouted, his voice laced with pain.

He took the moment of freedom to his advantage and began to run as fast as he could towards the front of the bus. He cleared the front of the bus and looked to his right, seeing the very people he wanted to—the Bears and Roadie—running towards him with mixtures of panicked and relieved expressions on their faces. A relieved sigh passed through his lips. "Guys…"

A sudden, searing white-hot pain spread through his leg and arm, sending him to the ground, rolling over a few times, with a pained shout. He came to a stop on his side, not able to move as pain radiated throughout his body. Something warm spread along his arm and leg as he let out a high-pitched whine. His eyes were wide with terror and pain.

His captor stepped out from around the bus, absolutely furious. "You little-"

"BEARY!" Henry shouted when he saw the cub go down, _**hard**_.

The man turned and looked at Henry in amusement. "Hello, Henry. Miss me?" he asked, kneeling down next to the trembling, injured cub, who was still whining. He lifted the cub up slightly, wrapping his arm around his neck once more, squeezing tightly and cutting off the whines. He looked at the group coming towards them and grinned sickly.

The running group came to a halt fifteen feet away from the duo, their expressions livid. "Leave him alone, Reed," Henry snarled.

"Why the hell did you shoot him?" Zeb growled, his fists clenching tightly.

Beary was fighting to breathe; his mouth opened and closed, trying to draw in the precious air he needed. His right arm and left leg were bleeding heavily, which wasn't helping him stay conscious.

"I told him not to try and fight me. He wouldn't win." Reed's grip on the cub's neck intensified. Beary's kicking and squirming was getting weaker and weaker by the moment. "Get in the bus, or he dies," the banker growled.

"Just let him have some air and we will!" Trixie cried, absolutely terrified at the moment.

Thimple thought for a long moment before nodding. He loosened his grip slightly, allowing precious oxygen to fill Beary's lungs.

The sudden allowance of air proved to be too much for the ten-year-old's brain, sending it into overload. His eyes widened before closing, his world going dark.

The last thing he heard was someone—or was it many someones?—screaming his name.

_.~*~._

He awoke, his arm and leg throbbing painfully, and slowly opened his eyes, blinking a few times. His head was resting on something soft and warm. He moved his head slightly, trying to see what he was resting against.

A golden face looked down at him, forest green eyes staring into his own hazel ones. "Shh…" the owner of the forest green eyes whispered as a gentle paw ran down his cheek.

The eyes looked so familiar. "J-Jewel…?" he questioned softly. "Wh-What are you… doing here…?"

The eyes blinked before widening slightly, filled with surprise. "I'm not Jewel, kiddo… Shh… Save your strength… Don't go back to sleep… Please, don't go back to sleep…"

He couldn't comply with her request as he drifted back into nothingness, despite her pleading with him to stay awake.

_.~*~._

"Do you think he's goin' to be all right?"

"I don't know, Fred… I really don't know…"

"He's lost a lot of blood… We can't stop the flow completely…"

"And we're stuck in this damn cage! He needs a hospital!"

"I know that, Zeb! We all do!"

"I can't believe what that bas-"

"Hey, guys! I think he's comin' around!"

He blinked sleepily and let out a slightly pained moan. He felt like he was floating on a fluffy cloud, his body nearly numb. His eyes took a while to focus, but even when they did, everything was blurry.

A soft paw touched the side of his face, brushing his cheek. "Hey, kiddo…"

The voice was more familiar than it had ever been as Beary's mind traveled down memory lane to a very, _**very**_ long time ago. "D-Daddy…?" he whispered, blinking slowly. "D-Dat y-you…?"

There was a soft chuckle. "Yeah, kiddo. It's me…"

There were a few gasps of surprise and confusion. "But, Henry… You said-" whoever was speaking didn't get a chance to finish before _**his**_ voice spoke again.

"I'll explain later. It's a very long story."

"Y-you c-come b-back… M-Mama said y-you w-would w-when it was s-safe…" He suddenly blinked, his mind trapped in a memory. "Mama! She's h-huwt!" The effort it took him to speak exhausted him.

"Shh, kiddo… Save your energy…" There was a choked cry. "You're going to see her soon…" Something wet fell on his face. Only later would he realize that it was a teardrop.

"Henry, Helen's de-" Once again, whoever was speaking didn't get a chance to finish before he let out a pained cry. "Hey!"

"Zeb, shut up!" Another voice, female, growled. "We all know that Helen's g-gone..." She let a pained cry filled with sorrow. "He's not… Beary's not going to make it if… if we don't get him out of here." She broke off before speaking again a few moments later. "Henry… Henry knows this… And we all know that _**this**_ is his and Helen's son…" She broke down in tears.

Beary blinked. He hated it when someone cried because of him. "No cry… Please, no cry…"

The crying slowed before coming to a stop. "All right, Beary… No cry…" the female said, her voice still filled with sorrow.

"We can't do the concert… There's no way…" another voice whispered. "Not when he's d-dyin' because of us…"

"You h-have too…" he softly cried, his memory coming back a little. He hadn't gathered all of them up for nothing. Wait. Did they just say he was dying? He didn't know for sure as his vision faded in and out.

There was silence for a moment, before several voices spoke at once. "All right, kiddo. We'll do it for you…"

"I f-feel…so c-cold…" he whispered a few moments later, his voice getting softer and softer.

He heard someone crying again, but he didn't have the energy to say anything about it. He felt so tired. So, so tired. It was beginning to hurt to breathe, almost as if something was sitting on his chest, weighing him down.

Someone, whom he guessed was his father, was now gently rocking him side to side, singing a familiar lullaby. More tears fell onto his face.

_Sleep my child and peace attend thee,  
>All through the night<br>Guardian angels, God will send thee,  
>All through the night<br>Soft the drowsy hours are creeping,  
>Hill and dale in slumber sleeping<br>I, as my loved ones' watch, am keeping,  
>All through the night<em>

His eyes were drifting close as he slowly fell into a soothing darkness. He could feel a pair of warm arms wrap around him. A second voice, a voice he knew all too well, had joined in with the singing.

_Angels watching, e'er around thee,  
>All through the night<br>Midnight slumber close surround thee,  
>All through the night<br>Soft the drowsy hours are creeping,  
>Hill and dale in slumber sleeping<br>I, as my loved ones' watch, am keeping,  
>All through the night<em>

"_It is not yet your time, little one__,_" the voice of his mother whispered in his ear. "There is too much for you to do. Don't give up."

_Okay_, _Mama_… he answered back, trying his best to stay awake, but was failing miserably as darkness surrounded him.

"BEARY!" The voice was new, but just as familiar.

Dex…?

"BEARY!" This voice was also new, but extremely familiar. "Beary, wake up! Please wake up!"

Jewel…

"NO! NO, BEARY!" the young female, he could only guess was Jewel, screamed. He suddenly felt as if he was being lifted into the air. "Beary, stay awake! Please!" Another paw, much smaller than the others, gripped his own.

He tried to focus on her golden face as he drifted through the air, but was only able to see a hazy, golden shape. "J-J-Jewel…" he whispered. He somehow managed to reach out and touch her cheek in his extremely weakened state.

He could hear her crying. "Don't leave me! I love you!"

He couldn't think anymore as he fell victim to the comforting darkness, his mind shutting down.

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><p><strong><em>AUTHOR'S NOTE: Wanna read what happened in the gang's POV? Check out chapter two!<em>**


	2. Country Bears' POV

**Alternate Movie Kidnapping Scene**

[Bears' POV]

Ted abruptly cut him off. "Kid, that was just a bunch of **meanin'less** publicity! You don't know **nothin'** about the **real** Bears, understand? NOTHIN'!" he shouted. "We are **not** a family!"

The other bears in the field glared at Ted. They clearly didn't approve of his tone towards the cub.

Hurt filled Beary's hazel eyes. "You're right…" he muttered, glancing at them all as he continued, "This isn't a family." He turned back to Ted, ignoring the surprised looks he was receiving from the others. "Cause the people who love you no matter **what**? **That's** your family…"

Ted's eyes widened slightly at the wisdom and meaning behind the words. The other Bears looked down in sadness, knowing that the cub's words rang true.

"Who told you that, Beary?" Henry asked quietly as the cub let out a sad sigh.

Beary turned to look at him. "My Dad."

'Hm… I guess he's not Henry's kid after all,' Ted thought in confusion. 'Then… who is he?'

Beary's eyes widened and he gasped. "My Dad…!" Ted watched in confusion as the cub looked at the others for a moment before turning and running past them all.

"Wha- Wait a min- Hold on, Beary!" Henry called. The cub didn't stop, but instead kept running.

They all watched him go for a minute before the silence was interrupted.

"Where's he off to?" Ted wondered aloud.

Fred, Tennessee, and Zeb all glared at him angrily; Trixie wouldn't even look at him; and Henry just kept staring at the fleeing cub.

"I can't believe you shouted at Beary!" Zeb growled in disgust.

"What did he ever do to you?" Tennessee asked angrily.

Fred didn't say anything; he just shook his head and looked away, showing Ted exactly just how disappointed he was with his older brother.

Henry just glanced back at Ted for a moment before shaking his head as well and leading the way back to the bus. Trixie took Tennessee's paw in her own and led him back to the bus as well. Zeb put his paw on Fred's shoulder and, with a final glare at the older Bedderhead, he and Fred followed the others, leaving Ted standing there.

_.~*The Country Bears*~._

His captor looked at the drummer and spoke in a harsh tone. "Bring them to me or the cub dies." As if to prove his sincerity in the threat, he released the safety on the gun. "And no funny business."

Roadie gulped and nodded. "Just don't hurt him, Thimple," he pleaded as he backed towards the front of the bus.

"Don't give a reason to, then."

The long-haired blonde man felt horrible for leaving the cub like that, but knew that he had no other choice. Feeling like a he had no other choice. Feeling like a coward for not being able to do more to protect Beary, he passed in front of the bus with clenched fists. He could feel Beary's terrified hazel eyes watching him until he disappeared out of the cub's sight.

He knew he had to get this "assignment" accomplished fast; Beary was counting on him to get back quickly. He hurried towards where he saw the band members walking towards him, Ted trailing farther behind them. '_Did they already suspect something is wrong?_' he wondered as they moved closer and closer. He could see their angry expressions.

He closed the distance between them and himself, and was about to speak, when Zeb spoke first.

"Did ya see which way the kid went?" the golden brown-furred bear questioned.

Roadie nodded, but waited until Ted caught up to them before making any kid of further response. Once the black bear caught up, Roadie launched into an angry tirad. "First of all, why did Beary back to the bus without you guys?"

Everyone glanced back at Ted with angry expressions.

The black bear looked down and spoke softly. "I... er... I kinda yelled at him..."

"Kinda?" Zeb questioned. "That was not "kinda", Ted!"

"You broke his heart!" Trixie growled, furious. "He was practically in tears!"

"Yeah, brother... What's ya problem?" Fred finally asked, keeping his emotions in check.

Ted just kept his mouth shut, trying his best to stay calm. Inside, he felt horrible for what he had done.

Roadie was both confused and angered at this statement. Confused because he couldn't understand how _**anyone**_ could yell at the cubs, and angered because of the stupidity. "Well, I hope you're happy now," the drummer said, completely out of character. "You've put him in a really, really bad situation."

Henry's eyes widened. "Say what?" he exclaimed, voicing everyone's thoughts.

"What do you mean, Roadie?" Trixie asked, her forest green eyes filled with a mixture of confusion and horror.

"That Thimple guy showed up while y'all were talkin'. I was, er... relieving myself and was heading back to the bus when he pulled up alongside, got out, and pulled a gun on me," Roadie explained.

The assembled group looked at him with terrified expressions that were mixed with bewilderment. Henry's expression, however, was one of immense rage.

"He asked me where you guys were, but I refused to tell him. He was about to shoot, but then... Then Beary came around the front of the bus." He sighed as his story came to an end. "Long story short, Thimple is now holding him hostage with a gun to his head. If we don't cooperate, Beary's the one that's going to pay the price."

The reactions to the news were mostly the same: Terror, horror, and disbelief.

Trixie brought her paws up to her snout and leaned against Tennessee for support as tears rolled down her cheek fur.

"What are we standin' around for?" Ted growled. "We gotta go free the kid!" He didn't wait for the others as he began half-walking, half-running towards the bus. He knew they were following behind.

They were about halfway to the bus when they saw Beary come running out from behind the vehicle and look at them with relief on his face. Briefly, they all glanced at each other and smiled, happy to see that he was safe. That happiness ended when two loud gunshots were heard, followed by the ten-year-old face planting into the pavement and rolling over several times before he came to a halt on his side, whining.

A human—one that Henry recognized—stepped out from behind the bus, pointing the gun at the cub. "You little-"

"BEARY!" Henry shouted, furious.

Reed Thimple turned and looked at Henry in amusement. "Hello, Henry. Miss me?" he asked, kneeling down next to the trembling, injured cub, who was still whining. He lifted the cub up slightly, wrapping his arm around Beary's neck, squeezing tightly and cutting off the whines. He looked at the group and grinned sickly.

"What do you want, Reed?" the elder bear growled angrily.

Reed ignored his client and looked at the bears in mock surprise. "Wow. I'm impressed. Really, I am. I thought for sure that Hell would have to freeze over before you got them all together again." He looked directly at Trixie and Tennessee, this time with genuine surprise. "And you two? Back together? Why would you get back together with this broad?"

Tennessee was absolutely livid at the blow to Trixie. "Why you son of a bit-" His accusation was cut off when Thimple drew his arm tighter around Beary's neck, cutting off most of air.

"Wanna continue that statement, bear?" he asked while the cub let out a strangled cry as he struggled to breathe. "Do you want his death on your paws?" His arm became tighter, completely cutting off all the cub's air. "Well? Do you?" At this point, Beary desperately struggled against the man, frantically trying to draw another breath.

Ted and Roadie held Henry back from attacking the banker, know that if he did, Beary would die. Zeb clenched his fists and Fred growled angrily. Trixie placed a paw on her boyfriend's arm and spoke softly to him, telling him that defending her honor wasn't worth Beary's life.

"No," Tennessee whispered, looking down. He hated not being able to defend Trixie. "Let him go... _**Please**_."

"Much better," the crazed man said as he released some of the pressure on the cub's neck, just enough for him to receive a little air.

"Why the hell did you shoot him?" Zeb growled, looking at the blood that stained Beary's pants and jacket arm. He could see that the cub was still fighting to breathe, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to draw in more of the precious air he needed.

"I told him not to try and fight me. He wouldn't win." The human's grip on Beary's neck intensified, once again cutting off the cub's air. It was obvious that Beary's kicking and squirming was getting weaker and weaker by the moment. "Get in the bus or he dies," the banker growled.

"Just let him have some air and we will!" Trixie cried, terrified for the ten-year-old.

Thimple thought for a moment before nodding. He loosened his grip slightly, allowing Beary to breathe again. It was only moments later that the cub slumped to the ground, unconscious. The banker lost his grip on the cub for a moment, giving the other bears a chance to run closer. They all froze when the human once again got a grip on the cub's neck and fired a shot in the air. "One step closer and he dies!" he shouted.

None of them moved, knowing that he really would kill the cub they had come to love.

"Now, all of you get onto that damn bus and sit in the back!" When no one moved, he released the safety on his gun once more and pointed it at the unconscious cub's head. "MOVE IT!"

Everyone, filled with guilt for getting Beary into this mess, quickly did as they were told, each giving Beary an apologetic look that they knew he wouldn't see and gave the banker a furious glare.

Thimple forced Roadie to help him carry the cub up the bus steps, after the others had boarded, and set Beary on the floor in front of him as Thimple sat in Henry's armchair. The banker kept a tight grip on the cub's neck the entire time. "Drive," he told his fellow human.

The order was simple in nature, but it made everyone painfully aware of the seriousness of the situation.

As Roadie turned on the engine and shifted the gear stick to DRIVE, Thimple released his grip on the cub's neck, allowing Beary to fall forward in an unconscious heap. Briefly, the banker wondered if he had killed the young bear—something he hadn't planned on doing—but saw that Beary was still breathing, if only just.

Trixie's heart was filled with immense anger and sadness as she watched the cub she had come to love in such a short amount of time lie there, bleeding to death. She glanced around for a moment and then spotted the necktie around Henry's neck. "Henry, give me your tie. Ted, you too."

The manager—all of the other bears, actually—looked at her in confusion before complying with her request. He pulled off his tie and handed it over to the she-bear. Ted quickly followed suit, handing over the purple bowtie.

Trixie then got up and moved fearlessly towards the front of the bus, ignoring the others' cries and pleads for her to stop what she was doing. She shrugged off Tennessee's paw and continued walking.

Reed took one look at her and raised the gun in her direction while grabbing the back of Beary's neck. He was making it obvious that if Trixie didn't back down, Beary would die. "Sit back down, bear."

"Not until I bandage Beary's arm and leg. He _**will**_ bleed out if it isn't taken care of," the she-bear said as she knelt down next to the unconscious cub. Tasha would be proud that her older sister had listened to her first aid lectures. '_Wait... Tasha..._' Trixie's eyes widened when she finally realized where she knew Beary from. This was her daughter's best friend that she had only met once or twice, but that had been a long time ago, almost a couple years.

"Fine, but you're staying up here. Two captives to keep the others in line is a better idea anyway." Thimple then let go of his young captive that briefly woke up as he collapsed into Trixie's waiting arms.

Seeing that the cub was awake again, Trixie cried out. "Beary? Beary!" She was echoed by the others, who attempted to go to her side, only to stop when a gunshot echoed throughout the bus; there was now a hole in the ceiling. Everyone was forced to sit when the bus jerked, Roadie having lost control for a moment out of surprise.

"STAY WHERE YOU ARE!" the unstable human shouted, standing and swinging the gun around at the startled bears. His eyes were wide and bloodshot as he fought to remain calm. "The next bear to move gets a bullet in his head."

Their eyes widened at the implication.

Tennessee looked at his girlfriend, terrified. '_Trixie... Please... Come back here... It's not worth it..._' His eyes widened when he realized what he just thought. He couldn't believe that he just thought that Trixie's life was worth more than a cub's. It sickened him.

Trixie managed to ignore the situation and focus on stopping the bleeding. Gently, she tied Ted's bowtie tightly around Beary's leg wound, using part of his cargo shorts to make a makeshift bandage; she then did the same to his arm. She lifted him up slightly, allowing his head to rest on her lap. She then tenderly touched his face with her paw, hoping to offer him some sort of comfort as he looked at her with dull eyes. She had almost forgotten that he was just barely awake.

"Shh..." she said softly.

"J-Jewel...?" the cub weakly questioned. "Wh-What are you... D-Doing h-here...?"

Trixie blinked before her eyes widened. He thought she was Jewel? Well, they did look alike... "I'm not Jewel, kiddo... Shh... Save your strength... Don't go back to sleep... Please don't go back to sleep." She was terrified that if he did, he wouldn't wake up again. Jewel would never forgive her.

Despite her pleads, Beary's eyes drifted close again.

Thimple looked at the duo curiously. "Who's Jewel?" he questioned, wondering if he should find this other person and capture them as well.

Trixie refused to answer.

The banker's eyes narrowed. He didn't like being defied. Angrily, he slammed his foot down on the cub's injured leg, causing the young bear to scream. This surprised him; he had thought the cub was unconscious again.

The she-bear's ears flattened as she bared her teeth. She wanted nothing more than to tear this human from limb to limb. She knew the others' were feeling the same way; she could hear their snarls. However, she also knew that she had to take care of the cub first. She retied the bandages and soothed Beary again. "Shh... Shh..." she whispered, trying to silence his whines.

It took every bit of willpower Henry had to not get up and strangle the monster that had hurt his cub. It had been a long time since he had thought of Beary as his son, but that was because the cub had been taken in and raised by someone else after Helen had been murdered. The memory still brought tears to his eyes when he thought about the fact that he had lost his child. And now here Beary was, bleeding to death in front of him. Life just wasn't fair.

"I said, who's Jewel," the human growled again.

Trixie stared at Beary; she didn't dare look at her boyfriend as she answered the human. "My daughter," she said softly.

"What was that? I don't think we could all hear you."

"I said she was my daughter!" She looked at the human hatefully.

As one, the bears, sans Tennessee, looked at the thang player worriedly. It wasn't possible.

Tennessee's eyes widened to epic proportions. It wasn't possible. Trixie had a daughter? With who? It couldn't have been him, could it? They had only slept together once! They couldn't have made a cub if they had been together in bed only once! And that was a few months before... Before she left him. He blinked several times, doing the calculations and sorting through his memories. Trixie had been gaining weight just before she left him... Was it possible?

"Oh really? How many guys did you sleep with, huh? I heard you ran off from that oaf, and there's no possible way he's the father. I can't see him getting laid by any girl," Thimple commented.

Trixie's eyes narrowed. "For your information, Tenny and I have gotten in bed together and it was wonderful! I left him because I was afraid of how he would take it when he found out I was pregnant! He's Jewel's father!" she growled. She sighed softly and looked back at Tennessee. "I... I couldn't take care of her by myself... I left her with my sister and her husband... I went looking for work so I could support her... I also searched for you so I could tell you, but I couldn't find you... I visited her as often as I could and told her stories of you..."

The thang player's eyes couldn't have gotten any wider as he felt a few tears forming. He... He had a daughter. He was a father. He had missed her growing up; he hadn't even provided for her! Trixie had had to leave her with her sister because he was being an ass. She had tried to find him, but couldn't... He didn't deserve a family.

Zeb looked at his older friend sadly. He reached out and placed a paw on Tennessee's shoulder, weakly trying to comfort him. He glanced at the others and knew they were thinking the same thing. Trixie hadn't left because she fell for someone else... she had left because she was scared for her cub.

"Oh, poor baby," Reed said sarcastically. "Though, you must not know a good time in bed if you say that being with that oaf was "wonderful"." He leaned down and whispered in her ear. "I can show you a good time... Just as soon as we reach out destination."

The she-bear snarled something vulgar at him. "Go to Hell."

He shrugged. "You're loss."

_.~*~._

Thimple glanced around, bored. They had been traveling for almost thirty minutes so far. He spotted a blue backpack and grinned. He picked it up and fished through it, curious. He pulled out a red binder with a picture of the Bears on it and raised an eyebrow. He opened it up and looked at it, coming to a halt at the newspaper clipping of his defeat. His eyes narrowed dangerously and he opened a window, about to throw the book outside, when he stopped and looked at the white paper that had fallen out of the book and landed on his foot. He picked it up and glanced at it before grinning sickly. "'_My Hero__, by Beary Barrington, fourth grade_'," he read aloud.

The assembled bears all looked up in confusion, wondering what the heck the banker was talking about.

"'_My hero is really heroes, and my heroes are the Country Bears. Whenever I'm sad, I play one of their songs and forget why I was even sad at all. And if you've met my brother, you'd know why I was always sad._'"

Ted's eyes narrowed slightly at the double meaning of those words. They applied to both him and Fred. He knew that Fred was still disappointed with him, even if he didn't want to show it.

"'_I can't say that Zeb is my hero, or Fred, or Ted, or even Tennessee. But, as the Country Bears, what they can do together makes them my heroes. I'd like to meet them someday. That would be cool._'" Reed rolled his eyes. "This kid has some major issues. Imagine him seeing you as his so-called heroes. Sick. Apparently all he writes about is you bastards. Can anyone say obsessed? And this part about meeting you someday..." he chuckled darkly. "Who would've thought that his heroes are the ones that killed him?" He crumpled up the paper and chucked it out the window, along with the red binder.

The bears glanced at each other sadly. They couldn't believe this was happening. Maybe this really was all their fault... Beary looked up to them and all they had done was argue and fight. How could they have been so stupid?

Trixie, meanwhile, continued trying to keep Beary awake, but was failing miserably.

"Turn left here," Thimple said after a few minutes of silence, directing Roadie to drive the bus into an empty lot and park inside an abandoned warehouse.

Roadie frowned at the strange order, but obliged. After turning off the engine, he looked at Trixie. Reed had ordered them to carry the cub off the bus. The drummer got up and approached her. "I'll hold his feet. You take his arms," he said.

The she-bear nodded and reached under Beary's arms, clasping her paws across his chest. Then, gently, she helped Roadie lift the cub and, as one, they carried him off the bus.

Beary moaned in pain when his injured arm hit the side of the bus door. He was semi-conscious now, and could feel himself being carried before being set down on a cold, hard surface. His upper body was lifted and his head came to rest once more on something soft.

Trixie looked down at the cub, noticing that he was awake again. "Shh..." she whispered, caressing his cheek once again. She paid no mind to Thimple, but knew that Roadie had been forced to leave her side.

The others were ordered off the bus and told to walk in a straight line towards what looked like a large cage. Each one of them fought to not jump the banker, who knelt behind Trixie, holding the gun to her head.

"Thimple, I'm _**definitely**_ changing banks," Henry said, knowing that this wouldn't do much, but it felt kinda good to say it.

"Oh, I hate it when we lose a customer," Thimple spat back sarcastically. "Get moving."

Once all his prisoners were in the large cage that was in the middle of the warehouse, then glared at Trixie and Beary. He grinned when he saw his man prisoner's eyes were now open again. Looking at the she-bear, he spoke harshly. "Get him up." When she didn't respond to his request, he took matters into his own hands, literally. He viciously grabbed the young bear's injured arm and forcefully yanked him to his feet.

The hard yank proved detrimental on the already-injured arm, causing Beary to let out a pained scream as tears rolled down his cheeks. Thimple didn't care, however, as he once again wrapped his arm around the cub's neck. Glaring at the furious she-bear, he spoke again. "Get in the cage."

Grudgingly, she did as she was told and immediately rushed to Tennessee's waiting arms. "I-I'm sorry!" she whimpered, apologizing for two things: never telling him about his daughter and for not being able to protect the cub better.

"Shh... Not you're fault," he whispered as he held her against him. He kissed her forehead, mentally making a note to talk to her about their daughter later. '_If there's a later,_' he silently told himself.

"Why are you doin' this?" Fred asked.

Thimple looked at him, surprised at the question. "Why?"

Beary, delirious, decided at that moment to be a smartass and spoke sarcastically. "That's what he said, genius," he slurred.

The bears and Roadie all winced at the light brown furred cub's sarcastic reply. They knew he was delirious and normally wouldn't say something like that—at least, not that they had seen in the short amount of time they had known him—but they knew that Thimple wouldn't see it like that, nor would he care.

The assumption proved to be correct when the man hit the cub over the head with the butt of his gun. "Shut up you little twirp." The cub fell silent and the human looked up at his other captives, all of whom were glaring at him angrily. "Why? You ruined my life!" he shouted, his voice echoing in the semi-empty warehouse.

"What are you talking about?" Henry questioned, his hazel eyes never leaving his son's face.

"I can't let you have that show and ruin what I've been working on for twenty years!"

"Tenty years?"

"I've been plotting and slowly rising to the top of the food chain, waiting for my chance to destroy the place that brought me misery." He took a step towards them, forcing the delirious cub to step forward, too. "Finally my day came, but then this little pain in the ass came along and nearly ruined everything!" His voice had risen to a shout as he aimed the gun once more at the cub's head. "I told you twenty years ago that I would have my revenge."

Henry's eyes widened in recognition as the memory of a teenager saying similar words came to mind. "Oh my word! You're Benny Boggswaggle!" he accused.

"The armpit farter!" Zeb exclaimed.

"Ew..." the others groaned as they all took a step back.

"A sweet, innocent kid," Thimple went on.

"You hit me with a chair!" the former honeyaholic then stated.

"Yes, I did. Since then, I've been plotting my revenge!" Thimple, now revealed to be Benny Boggswaggle, growled. "Maybe I should start with this brat." He released the safety and his finger moved towards the trigger, slowly pulling it back.

"_**NO!**_" the bears and Roadie screamed, all moving towards him.

Thimple pulled the gun away from the cub's head and aimed it at them. "You're right. That would be too easy... You wouldn't feel the pain..." He grinned sickly, pulled off Beary's bandages, and shoved the ten-year-old inside the cage, watching as he rolled a couple times before lying still on his stomach, then slammed the cage door shut and locked it. "You can all suffer and watch as your "number one fan" slowly bleeds to death in front of you while I go tear down the Hall!" he cackled, pulled the large skeleton key out of the padlock, put it in his pocket, and left.

Henry fell to his knees next to his son, turned him over, and pulled him into his arms. "Oh, God... Not you... Not you..." he whispered, trying to wake the cub up. Beary's head rested against Henry's chest; his own chest barely rose and fell. His eyes were closed; it was obvious he had slipped back into unconsciousness.

Roadie reached into his pocket and pulled out a red handkerchief. "Here. It's not much, but it's all I have," he said as he knelt down next to Henry. He looked between the two wounds and saw that the wound in the cub's arm was bleeding more. He quickly bandaged it as best he could.

Without thinking twice, Ted pulled off his shiny jacket—he hated it anyway—and knelt next to Roadie. He pressed the fabric against Beary's leg. It was the least he could do; he knew full well that if he hadn't shouted at Beary earlier, the cub wouldn't be dying right now.

"Do you think he's goin' to be all right?" Fred softly asked a few minutes later, looking at his brother.

"I don't know, Fred… I really don't know..." the lead singer answered, not looking up at the others as he continued putting pressure on Beary's leg.

"He's lost a lot of blood… We can't stop the flow completely..." Tennessee commented.

"And we're stuck in this damn cage! He needs a hospital!" Zeb shouted, going over to the cage door and rattling it, hoping to somehow magically unlock it, but to no avail.

"I know that, Zeb! We all do!"

"I can't believe what that bas-"

"Hey, guys! I think he's comin' around!" Roadie exclaimed.

Sure enough, Beary's eyes slowly opened and he looked around lazily.

Henry touched his cheek and gently smiled. "Hey, kiddo."

The cub's hazel eyes focused on the older bear's. "D-Daddy...?" he whispered, blinking slowly. "D-Dat you?"

The elder bear chuckled softly. "Yeah, kiddo. It's me..."

The others gasped and looked at each other in surprise.

"But, Henry, you said-" Zeb began, only to be cut off by his former manager.

"I'll explain later. It's a very long story."

"Y-You c-come b-back... M-Mama said y-you w-would... w-when it was s-safe..." Beary's eyes suddenly filled with panic. "Mama! She's h-huwt!"

"Shh, kiddo... Save your energy." Henry let out a choked cry before whispering. "You're going to see her soon..." A tear rolled down his cheek and landed on the cub's face.

"Henry, Helen's de-" Zeb was once again cut off when Fred elbowed him. "Hey!"

"Zeb, shut up!" Trixie growled. "We all know that Helen's g-gone..." She let out a sorrowful cry. "He's not... Beary's not going to make it if... if we don't get him out of here." She broke off for a few moments, trying to hold back her tears. "Henry... Henry knows this... And we all know that _**this**_ is his and Helen's son..." She couldn't hold them back anymore as she leaned against Tennessee and cried.

"No cry... Please, no cry..."

The voice was so unexpected that Trixie looked up. She forced herself to wipe away the tears and nod. "All right, Beary... No cry..." she said, her voice still full of sorrow.

"We can't do the concert... There's no way," Fred whispered. "Not when he'd dyin' cause of us."

"You h-have too," Beary softly cried.

They all glanced at each other silently, wondering how to respond to the cub. Finally, they all nodded. "All right, kiddo. We'll do it for you."

Their resolve almost shattered at Beary's next words.

"I f-feel... so c-cold..." he whispered, his voice getting softer and softer.

Trixie started crying again, this time joined by Tennessee. Zeb and Fred had tears streaking their cheeks as well, but neither let it get them down as they once again attacked the gate, desperate to get it open and to get Beary to a hospital.

Henry gently rocked him side to side while singing a lullaby as tears rolled down his cheeks.

_**Sleep my child and peace attend thee,**_

_**All through the night**_

_**Guardian angels, God will send thee,**_

_**All through the night**_

_**Soft the drowsy hours are creeping,**_

_**Hill and dale in slumber sleeping**_

_**I, as my loved ones' watch, am keeping,**_

_**All through the night**_

_**Angels watching, e'er around thee,**_

_**All through the night**_

_**Midnight slumber close surround thee,**_

_**All through the night**_

_**Soft the drowsy hours are creeping,**_

_**Hill and dale in slumber sleeping**_

_**I, as my loved ones' watch, am keeping,**_

_**All through the night**_

Henry felt Beary's heartbeat slowing, as well as his breathing. He knew it was time. He could feel Helen's presence and knew that she had come to take their son home.

"Please, Beary," he whispered. "Just hold on a little bit longer..."

Suddenly, a young male voice was heard out of nowhere. "BEARY!"

Everyone looked in shock at the arrival of a human teenager, who was followed by a golden she-cub and an older black bear in a police uniform.

The golden she-cub grabbed the cage bars and looked at the light brown cub. "BEARY!" She pulled on the bars, as if she was trying to pull them apart. "Beary, wake up! Please wake up!" she cried.

The black bear left for a moment and returned with a large ax. "MOVE!" he growled.

The human pulled the she-cub out of the way just as the older bear swung the ax and broke the padlock in two. He dropped the ax, yanked the padlock off the gate, and pushed open the door.

The she-cub, dressed in jeans, a gray t-shirt, and a coat similar to Trixie's, only shorter, rushed past the older bear and grabbed Beary's paw. "NO! NO, BEARY!" she screamed as the older bear took the cub out of Henry's arms and carried him back to the squad outside. The she-cub ran alongside them, holding Beary's paw and begging for him to stay away.

Henry didn't fight the older bear, instead letting the officer carry his son to safety. After being helped up by Ted and Roadie, he, along with everyone else, ran behind the duo. They all witnessed as Beary reached out with one paw and gently touched the she-cub's cheek. They all heard the she-cub cry out, "Don't leave me! I love you!"

Beary was loaded into the backseat of the squad car with the human and she-cub, which were supporting him, and the officer looked at the older bears. "I'll get him to the hospital." He glanced at Trixie. "Nice to see you again, Trix." Without waiting for a reply, he got into the squad car and sped away.

Tennessee stood still, watching the squad car disappear. He couldn't get the image of the she-cub out of his mind.

Somehow, he just knew. He knew he had just met his daughter.

Roadie went over to the bus and backed it out of the warehouse, being mindful of the open trench, and parked in the street. He looked out the window at them all. "Hospital or the Hall?"

"Beary wants us to do the concert," Fred said, looking at his bandmates.

"But shouldn't we go to the hospital?" Zeb wondered.

"We only have until eight tonight to get the money for the Hall," Roadie commented.

Henry stayed silent.

Ted looked at them all. "We do the concert. Maybe we can also get some donations to pay for the cub's hospital bills..."

The others nodded.

"After the concert, we're headin' over to the hospital to give him our support," Tennessee said. He glanced at Trixie. "Also, I want to meet my daughter."

Trixie nodded. "Beary's wishes come first." She glanced at Ted before hurriedly looking away. "And will someone please get Ted some clothes?"

Ted blinked several times, looked down, and his eyes widened. "Ah, crap. Sorry, Trixie..." he muttered before going over to the bus, hoping to find his old concert jacket.


End file.
